Brazil

The Atlantic Forest, also known as Mata Atlantica, once covered 130 million hectares across Brazil. Now, this tropical rainforest ecosystem is home to more than half of the country’s population. Centuries of deforestation for timber, sugar cane, coffee, cattle ranching, and urban sprawl have reduced the size of the forest by over 90%. Although the water supply for Brazil’s two most populous cities (Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo) comes from this forest, there is a lack of public policies and resources to protect it.

Our partners in Brazil are working to restore 15 million hectares of the Atlantic Forest by 2050. By helping plant trees in this critically important forest you are promoting the conservation of biodiversity, creating jobs and income opportunities for communities, and establishing sustainable land management practices among Brazilian land owners. The 15 million hectares of restored forest also has the potential to sequester 200 million tonnes of CO2 annually, and will help restore water quality and quantity for the millions of people in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and so many of the surrounding communities.

A personalized tree certificate to say thanks for your donation. We’ll also send you updates on our Atlantic Forest projects, so you can track the impact your trees are having on the community and environment.

To maximize the impact of your donation, our partner will determine the most appropriate species of tree to plant.

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DEFORESTATION IN THE ATLANTIC FOREST

Our planting project in the Atlantic Forest is part of a larger project to restore more than 15 million hectares of forest by 2050 (an area larger than Greece).

To accomplish this goal, more than 260 organizations joined forces in 2009, including governments, non-profits, private companies, and research institutions. These organizations have come together to tackle some of the biggest problems the Atlantic Forest faces. Beyond planting trees and restoring land they are conducting research, developing tools and technology to monitor the forest, and producing public policy to make sure the forest is protected well into the future.

WHY PLANT TREES?

PROTECT wildlife HABITAT

The Atlantic Forest is home to some 20,000 species of plant and some 2,000 animal species. Planting trees here helps restore one of the top five priority conservation areas in the world!

PROMOTE FOREST MANAGEMENT

Our partners work with private land owners to promote sustainable land management. Planting trees gives land owners an incentive to protect the forest for years to come.

SUPPORT CRITICAL WATERSHEDS

Planting trees in this region helps to restore critical watersheds to help provide clean air and water to the more than 120 million people who now live in and around the Atlantic Forest.